Recovery Methods Tier List (for building muscle)

[00:02] Recovery plays a huge part in actually building more muscle, but there are a lot of recovery methods that simply just don't do anything, or even worse, that actively sabotage your muscle gains. It's why I prepared this recovery tier

[00:14] actually important to get the best recovery possible, and what you should stay away from. In this tier list, we have three different tiers: must do, very important, and niche. So, let's start from the niche tier and work our

[00:26] entry in the niche tier is cold exposure, which a lot of you might react with, "Yeah, this one is amazing." Which is true to a certain extent, but you have to be really careful of how you go about it. Otherwise, you will completely

[00:39] sabotage your muscle building process. Because cold exposure indeed does reduce help you recover faster, which is extremely useful if you are like an actual athlete, but it's not that great if you are just a regular gym rat. If

[00:52] you, as a gym rat, go have an ice bath right after your workout, then you will caused, but that will also basically to say that cold exposure is completely terrible, but in the muscle building

[01:05] context, the timing is really, really important. Simply put, after a workout, cold exposure is a big no-no. If you want to do cold exposure on your rest That's completely fine. But after a workout, never. Otherwise, your gains

[01:20] in the niche tier. Now, let's take a look at the exact opposite of cold exposure, and that is sauna. While some people might look at sauna as a magical recovery tool, it really isn't. But the good part is, you can go to sauna after

[01:34] anything. The main thing with sauna is that you should only do it if you truly enjoy it, and it makes you feel good. If you just hate feeling hot, there is sauna. Realistically, the biggest benefit of sauna is that it just helps

[01:48] you relax, if you like being in the sauna, that is. And as you will see later, actually being relaxed and stress-free plays a massive role in the recovery process. So, sauna goes into the niche tier. If you enjoy it, it can

[02:00] be beneficial. Otherwise, there is no reason to force yourself to do it. Now, let's take a look at foam rolling. This device is usually being marketed as a magical device that will guarantee the best recovery, no matter what. But, the

[02:12] rolling can definitely help you reduce soreness and improve tight spots, but it will not improve your overall recovery. It's just a tool that can help alleviate soreness or stiffness from certain spots. And it should be treated as that.

[02:26] So, it goes into the niche tier, because it really won't improve your overall recovery. Now, let's move on to the very important tier. First thing we need to talk about here is active recovery. Most people have this idea that doing nothing

[02:38] really couldn't be further from the truth. The best way to recover your body is by doing some kind of light activity. Something like walking is perfect, or doing a light swim or a bicycle ride. It should not be some kind of brutal

[02:52] activity that will destroy you. Really, just a light walk can make a massive moving and actually makes your body feel better, because you are not laying on your couch feeling like a big doo-doo. Plus, doing some kind of light activity

[03:05] your nervous system, which you definitely shouldn't neglect, because you need to recover both your muscles and your mind. Go on a light walk without headphones, and you will be absolutely rejuvenated. I can guarantee

[03:18] important tier. The other thing that is absolutely crucial is getting some sunlight. You might think that I'm being weird by this here, but the effect of exposing yourself to sunlight each day is completely out of this world. Not

[03:32] your mood, but it will also help you improve your sleep. I can tell you from around winter time, I haven't seen the sun in like 14 days. Everything is just gray and uninspiring all the time. And even though I haven't changed anything

[03:47] in my training and recovery regimen, the will to train and create new things reduced dramatically. And the quality of sleep has also gotten much worse because your body absolutely loves living by the circadian rhythm and will reward you by

[03:59] feeling amazing if you try your best to follow it. You know, going to sleep when it starts to get dark and waking up as the sun starts shining. But, if your sleep schedule is so messed up that you are going to sleep in the morning and

[04:11] winter, your body is going to feel much worse even though you might have gotten your 8 hours of sleep. And you best believe that it will have an impact some sunlight each day is very important. Now, let's move on to the

[04:25] must do tier. Everything that is in here is absolutely non-negotiable. You have get the most obvious thing out of the way. As you could have guessed, sleep is the single most important thing when it comes to recovering effectively. There

[04:38] recovery methods if your sleep is terrible. If your sleep sucks, you should put your full attention to trying to fix it, which means getting those 8 hours of sleep and trying your best to follow the circadian rhythm. I will

[04:51] leave a link to a video about sleep in the description, and it will also pop up able to watch it after this one. So, without a doubt, sleep is going into the must do tier. Now for the next super important thing, which is getting in all

[05:04] the macronutrients. I don't think we even need to talk about protein. If most likely already have that covered. But, you should also pay attention to the other macronutrients. I have seen a lot of people just trying to completely

[05:17] are trying to lose weight, but that is a big mistake because not all fats are bad for you. The fat you can find in eggs or amazing, and you have to realize that your body actually needs some amount of

[05:30] healthy fats to function properly, and it also has a big impact on your healthy fats from your diet is a recipe for disaster. So, don't be afraid to use high-quality olive oil, avocados, fatty fish, eggs, or nuts as a lack of healthy

[05:45] fats in your diet will certainly hinder your ability to recover properly because if your hormones going to regulate so will your recovery. And lastly, you of course can't forget about carbs. They are the main fuel source for your body

[05:57] and if you have ever tried doing a super low carb diet, I'm sure you have noticed how fatigued you suddenly became. And if you feel like doodoo all the time, that will certainly not help you recover faster. That is why getting in enough of

[06:09] all the macronutrients is an absolute must do. And we of course can't forget about hydration. After all, the human body is mostly just water. So getting in a water and also electrolytes is absolutely crucial. I don't think I even

[06:22] need to give you a recommendation for how many liters of water you should color of your pee and if it looks like the filter they used in Breaking Bad, you need to drink more. So without a question, a must do tier. And our last

[06:35] entry is something that not a lot of people might have expected and that is stress management. If you are constantly stressed out, you will always feel kind this daily list. If you went into it like a frantic maniac thinking, "Oh my

[06:48] god, what do I do? I'm going to do this and this and this, but this is just so wrong." The most important factor in recovering properly is just not being completely wired and dialed in the whole day. You need to chill a little bit. As

[07:00] weird as it sounds, just having those moments of peace every day can make a huge difference. For someone that might be reading a book, going on a walk with your partner. Whatever that moment of peace is, you need your body and most

[07:14] importantly your brain to relax. If you are getting bombarded with the latest news of what bad happened in the world or if you constantly scroll social media compared to everyone online, you are inherently just making yourself feel

[07:27] would expect to have an impact on your recovery, but once you experience first hand how big of a difference it makes, you will be absolutely shocked. You just need to make sure that you are regularly getting into that relaxed state. You can

[07:40] see what it does not only to your body, but also to your brain. I for example absolutely love acupuncture because it just puts me in such a nice mellow state where the whole entire day just turns into a recovery extravaganza. So, find

[07:54] your moment of peace and enjoy the results. And that's how the final deal you would like to get your muscle building journey started in the simplest way possible, you absolutely need to check out the new beginner bundle which

[08:07] contains a training, nutrition, and a cardio guide. So, we are getting started on your journey together with the proper technique illustration for every single exercise in the guide. My goal with this bundle was really to make it as simple

[08:19] to follow as possible and to make sure that you will not get overwhelmed. It is muscle building lifestyle to make sure that you will not quit. If you want to link in the description. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to chill out a

[08:33] little bit before your next workout and I will see you next time. absolutely have to check out this one, too. too. >> [music]